Method and apparatus for sorting and counting coins and other workpieces



March l, v1969 G. ZIMMERMANN 3,431,920

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR SORTING AND COUNTING COINS AND OTHER WORKPIECES Filed Feb. 16. 1967 Sheet of :l

inve/:lar: GERT Z/HERHHNN v Mramsvs Sheet Z of 2 G. ZIMMERMANN METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR SORTING AND COUNTING COINS AND OTHER woRKPIEcEs 16, 1967 March l1, 1969 Filed Feb.

/nven/o/, B GERT ZINMERMHNM y/m/wrma HM/ HTTaRNy United States Patent O Us. ci. 13s-3 1o claims im. ci. com 3/00, 9/04 ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Coins or other articles to be sorted and counted are passed along a sorting section including plural successive sorting stations at each of which coins or articles -of a respective size are sorted out. The coins entering each sorting station are counted before sorting. The difference between the number of coins entering two successive sorting stations is ldetermined to derive the num ber of coins sorted at the first of the two successive sorting stations. This difference is determined 'by connecting successive sorting stations to differential counters.

The coins entering a sorting station are counted by pulse transmitters, and each pulse transmitter has a respective valence symbol assigned thereto and which may be either positive or negative. Each respective valence symbol represents the algebraic diierence between the absolute values of coins sorted at two successive sorting stations. Valence pulses from the pulse transmitters are algebraically totaled in a common computer to determine the total monetary value of Iall coins passing through the sorting section.

Background of the invention The invention is directed to the sorting and counting of coins and other similar workpieces during passage through a sorting section including several successive sorting stations at which the coins or the like are graded by size, with the `coins or workpieces moving through the sorting section providing counting pulses.

Heretofore, determination and counting of coin denominations has been effected simultaneously with the sorting. The disadvantage of this is that it is necessary t-o provide, for each sorted coin, an extremely accurate electrical conduction value, this being necessary in order to avoid miscounts. Not only does this-involve a very high cost but also, as the coins do not always have the ideal dimensions, there may be considerable discrepancies or disturbances in the counting. Additionally, with combined sorting and counting as practiced to date, delays due to friction within the sorting sections or conduits along which the coins or the like travel are inevitable.

Summary of the invention As previously mentioned, the invention is directed to the sorting and counting of coins and other similar articles. More particularly, the invention is directed to a novel and improved method of and apparatus for sorting coins and the like and counting the coins both as to number and as to value, and utilizing entirely new counting principles.

In accordance with the method of the invention, the coins or workpieces are counted at all of the sorting stations included in a sorting section or along a sorting track, this counting being effected by counting pulses derived responsive to travel of coins or the like through the sorting section. With respect to each of the successive sorting stations, the number of coins sorted thereat is determined by deducting, from the number of coins passing 3,431,929 Patented Mar. ll, 1969 al respective station without sorting thereat, the number of coins sorted before entering the respective station. The coins pass the counting stations without friction, thus obviating the disadvantageous bouncing lof the coins during counting, and accelerating the counting and sorting processes. With the method of the invention, an absolute accuracy of the count is attained, and this is important both for ascertaining the total value of the coins and for ascertaining the number of coins of each denomination.

An advantageous feature of the invention method is that the counting pulses are converted into valence pulses, with a positive or negative valence assigned to each counting station and representing the difference in the absolute values of the coins, or the dilerences in denominations of the coins, at two successive counting stations. These valence pulses are then totalled to lascertain the total value of sorted coins. The valence pulses of all counting stations can then be supplied to a common computer.

A further feature of the invention method is that the number of counting pulses at two successive counting stations are subtracted one from the other to ascertain the number of coins sorted out.

Should a mishap occur, such as due to a damaged coin falling out at the wrong place after having been counted, a correction of the total value is possible, in accordance with the invention method, by back-calculation of the pulses provided by a wrongly sorted coin and in accordance with the valences of the counting or sorting stations which the damaged coin has already passed.

The apparatus of the invention includes a sorting section or track having successive sorting stations therealong each having in advance thereof a respective counting station, and a pulse transmitter is arranged at the respective counting station in advance of each sorting station. Thus, each sorting station is always positioned behind or downstream of a respective counting station. The pulse transmitters at the counting stations provide counting pulses irrespective of the type or denomination of coin passing the respective counting station. Every coin passing a pulse transmitter of a counting station provides a counting pulse. As those coins which have not yet been sorted continue to run from one counting station to the next in succession until they are iinally sorted, each coin provides as many counting pulses as the number of counting stations which it passes.

A pulse converter coordinated with the coin value at each respective sorting station is assigned to the respective pulse transmitter at the associated counting station, and all these pulse converters are connected to a digital computer providing an indication of the total monetary value of the sorted coins. As distinguished from the concept of determining the respective denomination value of each sorted coin, the invention relies upon the valence of the counting station and which represents the difference in the absolute values of the coins sorted at two successive sorting stations. By virtue of this feature, it is possible to eliminate the repeated counting and re-counting of the same coin at several counting stations. Additionally, the algebraic addition of the positive and negative valence pulses provides the exact total monetary value of all coins passing through the sorting section.

In an advantageous embodiment of the invention, each pulse transmitter of the sorting section or track is coupled with a respective gate, and all the gates are connected to a ring counter of known design. The valence of the pulse transmitter is determined by the point of connection of its associated gate to this ring counter. The ring counter consists, in a known manner, of a counting chain and a respective generator.

In order that the apparatus may be used to count the number of coins as distinguished from their total monetary value, difference counters are used and these are so coupled as to provide for subtraction in such a manner that the counting pulses resulting from arrival of coins at one respective counting station are supplied to the difference counter of the preceding counting station, for subtraction to determine the number of coins sorted out at the intervening sorting station between the two counting stations.

Advantageously, each counting station has a respective correction key assigned thereto, and this key makes possible the correction of the total monetary value by backcalculation of the pulses provided by an incorrectly sorted coin and in accordance with the valences of the counting stations traversed by the wrongly sorted coin, this correction also being applied to correct the count of the number of coins of each denomination.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an improved method of and apparatus for sorting coins and the like of different dimensions, and for providing an accurate count of the total number of coins or the like of each dimension.

Another object of the invention is to provide such a novel method of and apparatus for sorting and counting coins in which, as applied to coins, an accurate count of the total monetary value of the sorted coins is provided utilizing novel counting principle.

A further object of the invention is to provide such a novel method and apparatus including means for readily correcting the counts with respect to wrongly sorted coins, such as might occur due to the presence and improper sorting of a damaged coin.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide such a novel method and apparatus in which the number of coins sorted `at a sorting station is determined by subtracting the number of coins entering the sorting station from the number of coins passing through the sorting station without being sorted thereat.

A further object of the invention is to provide a method and apparatus of the type just mentioned in which a counting station precedes each sorting station to provide a counting pulse responsive to each coin passing the counting station, each counting pulse having assigned Ithereto a valence having a positive or negative value and representing the difference between the denominational values of coins sorted at two successive sorting stations, one in advance and one just beyond the counting station at which the pulse is provided.

Brie)c description f the drawings For an understanding of the principles of the present invention, reference is made to the following description of a typical embodiment thereof as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a sorting section, in accordance with the invention, including successive sorting stations, counting stations and a digital computer;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the digital computer; and

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating the counting of the number of coins or articles of each size.

Description 0f the preferred embodiment In the example selected for illustration, the invention is illustrated as Vapplied to a coin sorting `and counting machine. However, the invention is not limited to the sorting and counting of coins but can lbe used for the sorting and counting of other articles or workpieces such as, for example, circular disks, balls, or the like, to sont these workpieces according to preset dimensional tolerances.

Referring to the drawings, and particularly to FIG. 1, a sorting section or track 1 is provided with plural successive sorting stations 2, such as the eight sorting stations 2-1 through 2-8, arranged to sort coins 3 of diierent denominations and which pass along the sorting track in random succession. FIG. 1 illustrates, for each sorting station 2, the respective coin size which is sorted or falls out at this sorting station. The sorting track per se is known and consequently does not need any detailed description, except to say that the direction of passage of the coins therealong is indicated by the arrow 4 and passage of the coins is efrected by the inclination of the sorting track.

In advance of each drop or sorting station 2, a pulse :transmitter 5, such as the pulse transmitters 51 through 5-8, is arranged on the sorting track, and the point where each pulse transmitter is located is the counting station for the respective sorting station. With respect to the direction of travel of the coins, each counting station precedes the associated sorting station. The pulse transmitter 5 at each counting station may be an electrical contact, a photoelectric trip, or a known oscillatory scanning head.

Each pulse transmitter is connected by a respective line 6 (there being eight lines 6-1 through 6-8 in the illustrated example) with a digital computer 7 which provides a. digital indication 8. The digital computer also has connected thereto correction keys 9-1 through 9 8, each of which is connected to computer 7 by a respective line 10-1 through 10-8.

Referring to FIG. 2, which is a block diagram of the digital computer 7, lines 6 1 through 6-8 from respective pulse transmitters 5-1 through 5-8 lead to respective gates 11-1 through 11-8. Each gate is connected by a .respective line 12-1 through 12-8 to a respective pulse converter 13-1 through 13-8. Each pulse converter is a diode matrix and is connected with a ring counter 14 consisting, in a known manner, of a counting chain with a respective generator. As such a ring counter is well known to those skilled in the art, it is not illustrated in detail.

Pulse converters 13-1 through 13-8 derive, from ring counter 14, ya respective pulse value or valence and deliver the respective pulse valences, through lines 15 and 16 and through a direction discriminator 17 to a balanced counter 18 of digital computer 7. The circuit or ring counter 14 is completed by a line 19 extending thereto from balanced counter 18. The correction keys 9 are represented, in FIG. 2, by a single correction key connected by a :line 20 to direction discriminator 17 and by a line 10 to balanced counter 18. However, the same number of correction keys are present in FIG. 2 as are illustrated in FIG. 1.

The counting or the number of articles, such as coins, is illustrated schematically in FIG. 3. This counting is effected using the same scanning heads 5-1 through 5-8 as shown in FIG. 1. A respective difference counter 21-1 through 21-8 is associated with each scanning head 5-1 through 5-8. In the illustrated example, a total of eight scanning heads and eight dierence counters are provided. Each scanning head 5 is connected with its respective difference counter 21 by a respective line 22, there being eight lines 22-1 through 22-8. These lines 22 lead to respective plus or positive inputs 23-1 through 23-8 of the difference counters. The minus or negative inputs 24-1 through 24-7 of the ditierence counters 21-1 through 21-7 are connected with the next succeding pulse transmitter 5-2 through 5-8 by a respective line 25-1 through 25-7. The last difference counter 21-8 counts directly through the respective line 22-8. The plus and minus, or positive and negative, inputs of difference counters 21 are used additionally for correction purposes.

The operation of the invention is illustrated in FIG. 1 :as applied to a sorting machine for German coins. The coin sequence runs, in random order of the denominations through a sorting section and the coins are sorted according to size, as known per se and starting with the smallest coin, which in the illustrated example, has a value of one pfennig. The size graduation of the the coins present in the sorting section illustrated in FIG. l, in the direction of travel as indicated by the arrow 4, .correspond to the coin values 1, 5, 2, 50 and 10 pfennig, and 1, 2, and 5 marks. The values of these denominations are indicated in FIG. 1 at the respective sorting stations.

The coin sequence does not necessarily correspond to that represented in FIG. 1, but coins of various sizes and denominations-may run through the sorting section from right to left, as indicated lby arrow 4, in an entirely arbitrary succession. At drop 2-1, all coins having the value 1 pfennig fall out; at drop 2-2, all coins having the value of S pfennigs fall out; etc. The pulse transmitter 5-1, which is the initial pulse transmitter traversed by all coins, rfurnishes a number of pulses equal to the total number of coins passing through the sorting section, these pulses appearing as counting pulses. The next following pulse transmitter 5-2 furnishes counting pulses equal in number to the total number of coins entering the sorting section less the number of coins sorted out in advance of the pulse transmitter 5-2. The last pulse transmitter 5-8 furnishes only as many counting pulses as there are coins of the value of 5 marks passing this pulse transmitter.

Value counting of the coins is effected by introducing respective valences vassigned to each counting station. In

the illustrated example, the valence at counting station 1 is l. At counting station 2, the valence is 5-1=+4. At counting station 3, the valence equals 2-5=-3. At counting station 4, the valence is 502=|48. At counting station S, the valence is -50=40. At counting station 6, the valence is 100-10=+90. At counting station 7, the valence is 200-l0O=-i100. At counting station 8, the valence is 500-200=|300.

The valence is calculated in units referred to the smallest type coin, and each counting pulse is converted into valence pulses according to the valence of the respective counting station. At counting station 1, one counting pulse corresponds to one 'valence pulse; at counting station 2, one counting pulse corresponds to +4 valence pulses; etc. Those valence pulses are supplied, for value determination |by digital computer 7, to balance counter 18 through direction discriminator 17. Valence discriminator 17 delivers the valence pulses as plus (positive) pulses or minus (negative) pulses to the corresponding inputs of balancer counter 8. The balance counter 8 then indicates the total monetary value of the sorted coins.

The sorting machine can be used for value determination, for counting the number of coins, or for both operations. In the case of counting the number of coins, difference counters 21-1 through 21-8 of FIG. 3 are connected to respective pulse transmitters 5-1 through 5-8. As the number of pieces or coins is derived from the difference between the counting pulses at two successive counting stations, the counters 21 are coupled for subtraction. Thus, j

the counting pulses responsive to the arrival of coins at a particular counting station are totalled in the counter 21 assigned to this station and are supplied to the counter of the preceding counting station for subtraction. Thus, each difference counter 21 indicates the number of coins sorted at the respective sorting station. The monetary value determination and the counting of the number of coins can be effected simultaneously in the same machine or separately in different sorting machines. Thus, the same counting operation, in which counting pulses are derived before sorting of an article or coin, can be used for ascertaining not only the total monetary value of the coins but also for ascertaining the number of coins of each denomination or size.

The invention is not limited to the illustrated example. Thus, it is possible, for instance, to effect pulse conversion by means other than those illustrated and to use mechanical computers or calculators instead of electronic computers.

While a specic embodiment of the invention has been shown and described to illustrate the application of the principles of the invention, it will be understood that the invention may be embodied otherwise without departing from such principles.

What is claimed is:

1. Method of sorting and counting articles such as coins and the like, comprising the steps of passing the articles through a sorting section including plural successive sorting stat-ions at each of which articles of a respective size are sorted out; counting the respective number of articles entering each sorting station and in advance of sorting of articles at the respective sorting station; and determining the number of articles sorted at each sorting station by deriving the difference between the number of articles entering the respective sorting station and the number of articles entering the next succeeding sorting station.

2. Method of sorting and counting articles such as coins and the like, comprising the steps of passing the articles through a sorting section including plur-al successive sorting stations at each of which articles of a respective size are sorted out; providing a counting pulse responsive to the entry of each article into a sorting station and in advance of sorting of articles at said sorting station; determining the number of articles sorted at each sorting station by deducting, from the counting pulses, the number of articles sorted out at preceding stations; during the sorting and counting of coins of diiferent 4monetary values, converting the counting pulses into positive and negative valence pulses each corresponding to a respective counting station and each having a value, as to sign and magnitude, representing the difference between the absolute monetary values of the coins sorted at two successive counting stations; and algebraically adding the valence pulses to determine the total monetary value of the coins sorted in the sorting section.

3. Method, according to claim 2, in which all of the valence pulses are supplied to a common computer for such algebraic addition.

4. Method of sorting and counting articles such as coins and the like, comprising the steps of passing the articles through a sorting section including plural successive sorting stations at each of which articles of a respective size are sorted out; providing a counting pulse responsive to the entry of said article into a sorting station and in advance of sorting of articles at said sorting station; determining the number of articles sorted at each sorting station by deducting, from the counting pulses, the number of articles sorted out at preceding stations; and determining the difference between the number of counting pulses prov-ided in advance of each of two successive sorting stations to determine the number of articles sorted out at the preceding one of the two succes- -sive sorting stations.

5. Method, according to claim 2, including the step of, when the total value of the coins is erroneous due to a wrongly sorted coin, correcting the total value by backcalculation of the pulses provided by the wrongly sorted coin in accordance with the valences assigned to the sorting stations entered by the wrongly sorted coin.

A6. Apparatus for sorting and counting articles such as coins and the like, comprising, in combination, a sorting section along which the articles travel and including plural successive sorting stations each having a responsive counting station immediately in advance thereof; a pulse transmitter positioned at each counting station and -operated by all the articles entering the associated sorting station and providing counting pulses equal to the number of articles so entering the associated sorting station; and counting lmeans connected to said pulse transmitters and operable, responsive to pulses supplied thereto, to derive a magnitude of articles sorted at each sorting station as a difference of the magnitudes of articles counted at two pulse transmitters, one immediately in advance and the other immediately behind the respective sorting station.

7. Apparatus for sorting and counting articles such as coins and the like, comprising, in combination, a sorting section along which the articles travel and including plural successive sorting stations each having a responsive counting station immediately in advance thereof; a pulse transmitter positioned at each counting station and operated by all the articles entering the associated sorting station and providing counting pulses equal to the number of articles so entering the Iassociated sorting station; a respective pulse converter connected to each pulse transmitter and operable to convert the respective counting pulses of the pulse transmitter into respective positive and negative Valence pulses each having a value, as to sign and magnitude, representing the difference between the absolute -monetary values lof the coins sorted at two successive counting stations; a digital computer having its input connected to the outputs of all of said pulse converters; and total monetary value indication means included in said computer.

8. Apparatus according to claim 7, in which said computer includes a plurailty of gates each connected to a respective pulse transmitter; and a ring counter connected to all of said gates, the valence pulses corresponding to a respective pulse transmitter being determined by the respective connection of the associated gate to said ring counter.

9. Apparatus for sorting and counting articles such as coins and the like, comprising, in combination, a sorting section along which the articles travel and including plural successive sorting stations each having a responsive counting station immediately in advance thereof; a pulse transmitter positioned at each counting station and operated by all the articles entering the associated sorting station and providing counting pulses equal to the number of articles so entering the associated sorting station; and

a plurality of difference counters each connected to the output of a respective pulse transmitter; means connecting each difference counter, except the last difference counter in the direction of travel of articles through said sorting section, to the pulse transmitter associated with the immediately preceding difference counter; whereby said diiference counters are coupled for subtraction so that the counting pulses derived responsive to the arrival of articles at one pulse transmitter are supplied to the difference counter connected to the immediately preceding pulse transmitter.

10. Apparatus according to claim 7, including a plurality of correction keys each assigned to a respective counting station and each operable to effect back-calculation of the pulses derived from passage of a wrongly sorted coin and in accordance With the valence pulses of the counting stations passed by the wrongly sorted coin.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,002,601 10/1961 Reis 13s-'3x 3,332,430 7/1967 Busch 133-3 3,351,075 11/1967 Weisskopf 1-33-3 STANLEY H. TOLLBERG, Primary Examiner.

U.S. Cl. X.R. 133-8 

